Module concrete handling buckets



De@ 3, 1968 A 1 H. GARLINGHOUSE 3,414,312

MODULE CONCRETE HANDLING BUCKETS Fled Feb. I5, 1967 B552@ i @W TToQA/EYS United States Patent O 3,414,312 MODULE CONCRETE HANDLING BUCKETS Leslie H. Garlinghouse, Pasadena, Calif., assignor to Garlinghouse Brothers, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Feb. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 613,836 Claims. (Cl. 294-71) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to the placing of concrete and has special reference to a bucket assembly of modular units, all substantially alike, which can be releasably attached together in any multiple number depending upon the quantity of concrete sought to be handled. Each of the modules include a substantially rectangular frame having flat lateral sides, with a hopper, clam shell gates at the bottom of the hopper, and a hydraulic ram for actuating the gates contained inside of the frame. The clam shell gates are geared to each other so that when the ram actuates one of them, the other is likewise opened or closed, as the case may be, to discharge the contents of the hopper in small or large increments. As many modules as needed are mounted side by side and anchored together so that they can be lifted as a single unit. The modules are adapted to be irmly anchored together by bolting, so that they may be readily disengaged, moved singly and then reassembled with as many modules again bolted together as may be required. Once in place, over the area where concrete is to be deposited, the modules may be jointly or individually operated to deposit concrete, simultaneously or sequentially. When not all of the concrete is to be deposited, the clam shell gates are closed and the multiple unit moved along to the next location.

Concrete placement buckets have been a common eX- pedient for placing concrete in forms where the concrete needs to be lifted to different levels as forms are changed and need to be filled during the progress of construction. The more usual bucket used for work of this kind has been a somewhat rounded bucket having a relatively flat bottom with a bale at the top, and provided with a concrete hopper within the rounded frame adapted to be emptied by either hand or power operated gates at the bottom. Since different types of jobs need buckets of different capacity, the usual expedient heretofore employed has been to have available on the job buckets of varied capacity s0 that one or another, best suited to a particular pouring job, can be selected and used.

Where relatively substantial amounts of concrete can be poured sequentially, the expedient usually followed has been to use a bucket of capacity as large as practical and r then to move the bucket by increments along the form or other space and periodically open and close the gate at the bottom of the hopper.

Although these practices have been somewhat universally accepted, they have, on the other hand, had their limitations. For example, to repeatedly open and close the gate at the bottom of a relatively large bucket as it is moved along the form is time consuming and with labor at a premium, this practice has an attendant cost. Also when buckets in reality too large t0 handle concrete in narrow forms are employed, there is the ever present likelihood of spilling concrete over the sides of the form making it both wasteful and messy. Further still when relatively large quantities of concrete arerto be placed in a single area by use of large placement buckets, the concrete is often dumped all in one heap and appreciable labor is thereafter needed at the placement area for moving the Patented Dec. 3, 1968 lCC poured concrete around and into place, also resulting in undesirable segregation as well.

It is therefore among the objects of the invention to provide a new and improved concrete placement assembly in the form of modular units of such size, proportion and construction that they can be attached together as multiple units and moved as a unitary assembly from the loading station to the placement station.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved modular concrete placement assembly which is relatively simple and which has considerable versatility with respect to capacity and the spreading of the area of placement with a minimum of segregation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved modular concrete placement assembly wherein placement of concrete can be varied between a rapid placement, slow placement, or selective placement, due to the form of the assembly and the controls attached thereto.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved modular concrete placement assembly which can be easily changed in capacity by merely adding or removing one or more modular units.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved modular concrete placement assembly, the design and construction of which is substantially rugged, wherein the exterior shape of the modular units is one greatly facilitating the joining together of the units in assembled groups, and one which is readily loaded and easily unloaded with a relatively high degree of precision in placement.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby lthe objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a side perspective view of a single unit of the modular assembly in solid lines, but showing an extra unit in broken lines adjacent thereto forming a multiple unit assembly.

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of a modular placement assembly showing one of the units centrally disposed in solid lines and two units in broken lines on opposite sides thereof making a triple multiple assembly.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view partially broken away of one of the typical modular units.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

In an embodiment chosen primarily by way of illustration there is shown multiple unit assemblies wherein each module unit is identical. As here shown, each unit comprises a frame indicated generally by the reference character 10 in which is contained a hopper 11 having an open top 12 and having at the bottom -a pair of clam shell gates 13 and 14. Brackets 15 and 16 are provided at the top of the frame 10 for the attachment of a sling or bale 17.

More particularly, the frame 10` consists of four corner members 18, 19, 20, 21, forming in effect a substantially rectangular box. Bottom members 22, 23, 24, and 25 are attached to adjacent bottom ends of the corner members 18, 19, 20, and 21, the bottom members forming a substantially rectangular at base. Top members 26, 27, 28, and 29 are -attached to top ends of the respective corner members 18, 19, 20, and 21 and form a substantially rectangular relatively flat open top. Diagonal bracing 30 and 31 is provided for the sides and cross-bracing 32 for the front and back. It is significant to note that the corner members 19 land 20 together with the bottom member 23 and top member 27, all lying in the same plane, form a relatively fiat side wall. Similarly, the corner members 18 and 21 together with the bottom member 25 and top member 29 form another relatively fiat side Wall spaced from and parallel to the first identified side wall. Front and back walls are also relatively fiat, and parallel to each other.

Operating parts of the assembly include the hopper 11 provided with a drop section 33, having relatively straight sides and outwardly fiared ends, the bottom of which is closed by the clam shell gates 13 and 14. These gates are provided with geared sections 34 and 35 in mesh with each other so that when a hydraulic actuating ram 36 is operated both clam shell gates are shifted simultaneously. As shown, one end of the ram 36 is attached to a rod 37 engaging respectively the corner members and 21, this being the cylindrical portion of the ram. A piston rod 38 has a pivotal attachment 39 to the clam shell gate 14. When the piston rod reciprocates, the gate 14 is swung in a corresponding direction to either open or close the bottom of the drop section and the gate 13 moves correspondingly in an opposite direction. A control 39 is shown mounted on the front of the corner member 19, and provided with a control cord 40. For the grouping of FIGURE 2 a bar 41 may be employed attached respectively to each of three control cords 40, 42, and 43. The control cord 42 serves a left-hand module 44. The control cord 43 serves a right-hand module 45, and the control cord 40 serves a central module 46, which has a1- ready been described in detail. Since all modules are the same, a description of one will suice for all.

When for example, an essentially of three module units is desired, the assembly of FIGURE 2 is resorted to. This entails placing the module 44 against the module 46, so that adjacent flat sides coincide with each other, and attaching the modules together by bolts 47 and 48 at the' front corner members. Comparable bolts (not shown) are used to attach the rear corner members and, if need be, bolts are applied also along the top members 29 and bottom members 25. Similarly, the module 45 is attached with its flat side in engagement with the opposite corresponding at side of the module 46 by employment of similar bolts 47, 48, etc.

In the -arrangement shown the clam shell gates 13 and 14 of the respective modules are lined up three in a row, An arrangement of this kind is particularly helpful in filling long narrow forms, all three modules being capable of being emptied simultaneously by merely pulling downwardly with an even pressure on the bar 41. Should it be advisable to empty only one module at a time, the respective control cords 40, 42 or 43 being iiexible, the cord 40 can ybe pulled to operating position without disturbing the controls for the modules 46 and 45. On the other hand, if it Were advisable to dump two modules simultaneously, the bar 41 can be pulled downwardly on the left side to the broken line position 41 without moving the right-hand end of the bar and this is suliicient to release the power actuated rams for the two respective modules 44 and 46. A comparable operation could be performed for emptying only the modules 45 and 46, As an alternative, and under circumstances where a bar like the bar 41 is used, one or another of the outside modules 44 and 45 can be dumped without disturbing the loaded condition of the other two. This is accomplished by merely pulling downwardly on the respective end of the bar 41, as for example, the right-hand end as viewed in FIG- URE 2, thereby moving the bar to the broken line position 41". Other types of single and combination control structures can be used with comparable effectiveness.

Inasmuch as the frames m-ay be made with four flat rectangular sides, if desired, instead of only two, modules can be grouped together in a compact arrangement, four for example to an assembly. In such event, they can be arranged in a rectangular assembly configuration with the gates being capable of emptying four separate modules at four locations spaced uniformly about a somewhat square placement pattern. This serves to distribute the contents of the modules more widely and reduces the amount of handling of the concrete after placement. Bolt holes 49 may be employed in this instance.

Further still, the sling 17 can be attached lat any one or another of the brackets 15 and 16 of the respective modules. This is especially helpful when, on some occasions, it might be advisable to support an unbalanced load with some modules full and others either partially full or empty. Further still, although multiples of only two and three modules have been shown in the drawings in sideby-side arrangement, additional modules can be similarly mounted, which arrangement is especially useful in the placement of concrete in long narrow molds or for spreading the placement across a relatively wide path Such as a fioor or roadway. Rearrangement is a simple proposition requiring merely unbolting and rebolting of the frames in a desired arrangement. Since the need for changing the module assembly arrangement occurs only infrequently on a particular job, such time as -may necessarily be consumed in the unbolting and rebolting operation is not of material consequence.

While the invention has herein been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical vand preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any yand all equivalent devices.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent is:

1. A concrete placement assembly comprising a plurality of modular units, each unit of said assembly comprising a frame having a base, a top and side elements between the base and the top, adjacent side elements Of -adjacent units being of complementary configuration relative to each other, and releasable fasteners extending between said complementary elements for releasably securing said units together, each said unit including a hopper for concrete, a gate at the bottom of the hopper, power gate operating means, a control therefor, and a hoisting fixture on at least one of said units, and said assembly further comprising a common pull unit for all controls and an individualexible connection from each control to the common pull unit whereby the gates can be controlled individually or jointly and in any selected sequence.

2. A concrete placement assembly as in claim 1 wherein said side elements comprise frame members defining a relatively fiat area, said areas being on opposite sides of the unit and in parallel relationship.

3. A concrete placement assembly according to claim 2 wherein said fasteners comprise bolts extending through the frame members of adjacent units.

4. A concrete placement assembly according to claim 1 wherein the bases of all units lie in one plane and the tops of all units lie in another plane.

5. A concrete placement assembly according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of modular units includes a first modular unit releasably secured between second and third modular units and said pull unit comprises a bar member, with said connection from said control of the first modular unit attached to a central portion of the bar member, said connection from said control of the second unit attached to a first end portion of the bar member and said connection from said control of the third modular unit attached to a second end portion of the bar member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,856,222 IVO/1958 Gossett et al 294-71 FOREIGN PATENTS 92,796 10/ 1958 Norway. ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner. HADD S. LANE, Assistant Examiner. 

